Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-01-09

ner, while a hundred people gather rouu'
the train. At the Ravenswood House
number of prominent people are conSre
gated, among them Senator Brown ant
Senator William woodward, and q pleas
ant half hour is passed in discussing a goo'
dinner and political topics of interest.
Ravenswood is a lively little city Of l, 5O'
inhabitants and seems to have many o
the elements of future greatness. Ih'
town lies well, has a rich and productiv.
country behind it, and with the railroad
in active operation, must soon make de
cided increase in its population. We LEFT
at 1:5O p. m, and twenty minutes later
near Pleasant View, passed the coy resi-
dence of Captain Williamson, who achiev,
ed both fame and fortune by drawing
SIS, 900 out of the Louisiana State Lottery
on q cash investment of So. Below Pleas
ant View the road runs half a mile back
from the river, skirting soHe low, rolling
hills in graceful curves, with rich farming
lands lying out toward the stream, form
ing what is called Worth Bottom. Ahttle
farther and. the train passed the
largest tract of timber now
standing along the Ohio-a block
of 1900 acres belonging to a Baltimore
millionaire. He will neither sell it mol
allow a stick of timber to be cut from it,
and it lies there year after year, the home
of innumerable squirrels and the resort OF
hunters for miles up and down the Ohio.
Locally it is known rs ''the big woods
and as the train ran along its edge for a
II II LIZ - ,aar,aA 20 Aaaarpa tha
appellation.
The next station passed was Ripley
Landing at BAT. A fine depot building is
going up here. Just below VIC cross Big
Mill Creek, and then comes Letart. Just
abo, Letart all amusing incident occurred.
A school house adorned the hill a short
distance above the track, and rs the
train came abreast of the temple
OF learning the pupils cast their
books to the merry winds, figeratively
speaking, and made a wild rush for the
windows. This for a moment, and then
sashes were thrown up with a bang, and
from every opening an assortment OF big
and little boys and girls fairly boiled out
upon the s~now-covered ground and started
in a mad gallop for the cars, which had
come to a stand a quarter ola mile away,
By the time the teacher had reached the
door the young ideas committed to his care
were distributed in long procession down
the track, and even the smallest kid Of
them all never drew up till the goal wa.
reached.
The train arrived at Letart ut 1875.
There are two towns of the same name, one
on either side of the river, and both are
attractive places. Here the scenes narrated
as occurring at the school house, were re-
peated, while the entire population crowd
ed about the cars. 1t was at Letart that
the steamer Sidney exploded her steam
pipes, with such disastrous consequences,
some four years ago. At the narrows, just
below the,tOwn, the Company had some OF
its hardest work to obtain a stable bed for
the rails, but the undertaking was at last
accomplished. The country from here
down to Graham Station is very fine. The
bottoms are often a mile wide, with the
railroad running right down the centre Of
them, and the view from the cars will be
worth going to see in summer. This i.
said, also, to be afine country for partridge
and pheasant shooting, and it looks as il
the reputation was deserved.
Graham is opposite Racine, .. When the
train drew up at the station the inhabit.
ants had swung the bright folds of a large
American flag to the breeze from the top ol
a forty-foot pole, and were jubilating over
the arrival Of the cars III a rather boisterOus
way. Anxious enquiries were made about
the mails here, as well Us ut points above.
The people are completely cut off from the
outside world, and know little of what
is transporting. AfterleaviDg the station we
struck the prettiest piece OF track N ten
States. There are many stretches OH the
extension as straight as an arrow for
a mile, but here we hit upon q
solid two miles of track rs straight
as a broomstick. We passed a
man walking along, after running aquar-
ter of a mile or so On it, and it was pleas
ant to set and smoke and watch that plod-
ding unfortunate grow small by degrees
and beautifully less until the rails seemed
to meet in a point and he was blOtted out
by the inability OF the eye to longer dis
tinguish him. 1t is fine stretch OF track,
but it must be awfully ~discouraging to a
pedestrian to round a curve and look down
that long avenue of parallel rails; he can
see too far.
At New Haven, twenty miles from PIT.
Pleasant, we strike the first coal seam
since leaving Cresape's Grove, and the
country at once looses its pastoral feature
and takes on a distinctive manufacturing
air. The valley is fairly dotted with salt
wells and half covered with salt ware
houses, and the very atmosphere seemed
to be impregnated with the briny fluid,
which is pumped from a depth Of 1,20O
feet. At Hartford, and at Mason City
opposite Pomeroy, the whole population
came out to greet the train, and there
was general rejoicing over the completion
of the road, some of the young men getting
out an anvil and firing o salute as the
train came to o stand. Pomeroy is the
terminus of the Hooking Valley Railroad,
and from there down to Middleport, to
which place the Clifton mill was removed,
there is one continuous town. On the West
Virginia side the population is quite heavy
also, the coal works and salt concerns Civ
inn employment to many people. AT
Clifton q big brick smoke stack alone re-
mIlIlS 10 Inaih Vic iOtdIiOu vi buC bdii
mill, looming up like o monument in the
evening twilight. The train next passed
West Columbia, and Camden City, where
an inmenee coal works, the property OF
Senator j. N. Camden, is in operation,
and a large tippe is in process of con-
struction. Passing Mackers Station, we
soon came to the p. s.. Lewis farm Of 3, 900
acres, adjoining Point Pleasant, and a few
moments later, at 5:45 o'clock, we rolled
quietly into the ancient capital of Mason
county, and pulled up at the Kanawha
and Ohio junction, to the great surprise of
the entire population, the train not being
expected before Saturday. The party on
board lost no time in quartering them
selves at the htorta House, where q good
supper speedily repaired the fatigue of the
extended trip. HereI had the pleasure OF
meeting many agreeable gentlemen, among
them Judge C. p. T. Moore, Governor G..
W. Murdoch, Mr.. NJ. f. Tracey, Mr.. A.
C. Van Glider, Mr.. Tippett of the Register,
attorney ]. II. Couch, Jr., ex-senator Z.
c. Estham, J. L. Charles, u. s. Marshal
Sehon, and q number Of other very clever
people.
PUP ryFTI-pr